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Usagi Oda
Usagi Oda was the Hare Clan Champion who led the clan until their destruction at the hands of Bayushi Tomaru in 1123. Appearance Oda would always wear the traditional red and white colours of the Hare Clan. His clothes were normally very plain. He was slender and a little short. Despite being completely bald he aged well. He had a weak chin, which his son Ozaki also inherited. Game Master's Pack; The Hare Clan, p. 23 sidebar Beliefs Oda was quite old fashioned in his adherence to Bushido, but he was not too formal or stuffy. He was down to earth, took his duties seriously, and earnest in almost everything. He never joked, and would hestitate when laughing to make sure he understood the joke. Daimyo Oda was a good man put in a tough position; being the daimyo of a minor clan situated between the Crab and Scorpion clans. His clan sword had been missing for two centuries, and his lands had been constantly plagued by an ogre. Game Master's Pack; The Hare Clan, p. 22 sidebar Children Oda had three children, his son Usagi Ozaki and his daughter Usagi Tomoe; Game Master's Pack; The Hare Clan, p. 20 his third child was Usagi Kinotu. 1st Edition; 2nd GM screen Finding Tomoe a Husband Tomoe was a beautiful girl, but Oda could not afford a big dowry. He decided to send her along with Ozaki to Otosan Uchi in 1122 Bells of the Dead, p. 9 to find her a suitable husband, preferrably an influential Crab or Scorpion. The most interested suitor was Yasuki Nokatsu, but Oda did not want to entrust her to a man who flogged slaves for a living. Hare Clan Sword In 1123 Ozaki killed an ogre on the road leading to Shiro Usagi. The ogre was carrying a saya which was later identified by Oda as being the scabbard that once held the Ancestral Sword of the Hare Clan. Tomoe communed with the kami residing in the saya, and they learned the blade was being kept in the ruins of Shiro Hiruma in the Shadowlands. Ozaki volunteered to travel to Shiro Hiruma and recover the blade. Game Master's Pack; The Hare Clan, pp. 20-21 Siege of Shiro Usagi While Ozaki was away seeking the Clan Sword, the Scorpion Clan sent an army to besiege Shiro Usagi. Oda was warned by a monk named Dazai, who was known to be trustworthy. Oda placed Takeshi in charge of preparing the defenses of the castle. Game Master's Pack; The Hare Clan, p. 33 Two days after his warning the army led by Bayushi Tomaru arrived at Shiro Usagi, approximately 950 more men stronger than Oda's forces. The Scorpion announced that they were here to avenge the murder of Soshi Yukio and wanted the possessions stolen from her returned. Oda, not aware of his son's actions in Otosan Uchi, denounced the claim as the Scorpion making exuses for trying to take Hare lands. Game Master's Pack; The Hare Clan, pp. 35-36 Duels Later that same day three of Bayushi Tomaru's lieutenants stepped forward and challenged the Hare Clan to three duels. If the Hare sent three champions the Scorpion would let 20 people escape the castle with their lives. Oda, alongside Seiki and Kenzo stepped forward. Oda faced and killed Bayushi Sadako in their duel, but Kenzo and Seiki were killed. Game Master's Pack; The Hare Clan, p. 37 Continuation of the Siege The Siege of Shiro Usagi continued for three more days. On the night of the fourth day Tomaru sent two ninja assassins to kill Oda and poison the water supply. The water was poisoned, but the second ninja was killed before reaching Oda. Game Master's Pack; The Hare Clan, p. 39 On the fifth day Tomaru continued his assault, weakening the Hare Clan defenses further. On the sixth and final day Tomaru brought his full army to bear on the Hare Clan, intent on destroying them completely. Game Master's Pack; The Hare Clan, p. 40 Death Oda was killed during the destruction of Shiro Usagi by the Scorpion Clan army led by Bayushi Tomaru. Oda died in a duel during the last days of the siege, in return for the safe passage of his peasants and a few loyal retainers. Tomaru was strangely silent on the subject and he claimed no glory for the victory. Way of the Minor Clans, p. 117 Shortly thereafter, the Hare Clan was disbanded by the Emperor upon hearing sworn testimony from four sources that they had practiced maho. Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, p. 18 After Death Oda became a yorei, a restless ghost, and began to haunt the ruins of the castle. In 1125 he was seen by a peasant boy, Otu, who fled after a group of ghostly samurai appeared to chase the heimin. They were Scorpions who were looking for a quick route to power so they could gain retribution, and believed that maho would serve his purpose well, and that there must be something hidden in the ruins that they could use. Words of the incident reached the Asako Inquisitors who sent a group of samurai to investigate. Game Master's Guide; 2nd Ed, pp. 208-213 Seeking the Truth The group alongside with Muso, a former Hare, found that the ruins had been dug. The ghost of Oda appeared and began to scream that his son was in danger, chased by Scorpions. He moved to a nearby house, the one where Otu and his father Genko were living. The group realized the Scorpion looters were preparing to murder the young boy for bringing all these samurai to Shiro Usagi. Game Master's Guide; 2nd Ed, p. 212 Kinotu's Fate Before the Scorpion siege in 1123 Oda had given his son Kinotu to a farmer, Genko, and made him promise to protect the boy. Genko cared the boy upon the name of Otu, and when the Scorpion looters threatened his son's life the group of samurai saved him. Game Master's Guide; 2nd Ed, p. 213 Appeased Oda rested in peace after the Hare were restored as Minor Clan. Bells of the Dead, p. 8 Bells of the Dead, p. 37 See Also * Usagi Oda/Meta Category:Hare Clan Leaders